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The adventuers following less then obvious, sometimes extreamly cryptic landmarks make their way east. As they reach the desolation they stumble upon a small cottage, which matches the description for the add in the paper. Sitting in a rocking chair in front of it is a elderly woman, sewing plushies. She glances up and smiles, "Oh dearies! You made it, ready to brutally murder some bandits to start a bandit war?"

Chay is several lengths back. Oh, enough to see the creature, but--a person hears tales, you know. He raises his hand and salutes her, briefly. The hunter-caste bears lean muscle and armor that the forest coughed on. A bit murky, painted to fade in with the leaves and branches. The same mud coats his otherwise rust-covered scales, and leaves long furrows down his arms.

"Why are you so interested in starting a war between these bandits?" Kore asks of the old woman as she is coming close. The diminutive Monk is wearing a black robe over her usual simple clothing. It largely shrouds the diminutive half-Mul'niessa's form.

Duncan gives the woman an even look. "Let's say for the moment that we are here to kill bandits, and start a bandit war..." He flashes a completely unsubtle and non at all consiratory look at the others. One of his eyes twitches a bit as if it's all he can do to keep from winking. "Where are they? Do you know anything about them? Their leaders...?"

The adventuers following less then obvious, sometimes extreamly cryptic landmarks make their way east. As they reach the desolation they stumble upon a small cottage, which matches the description for the add in the paper. Sitting in a rocking chair in front of it is a elderly woman, sewing plushies. She glances up and smiles, "Oh dearies! You made it, ready to brutally murder some bandits to start a bandit war?"

Chay is several lengths back. Oh, enough to see the creature, but--a person hears tales, you know. He raises his hand and salutes her, briefly. The hunter-caste bears lean muscle and armor that the forest coughed on. A bit murky, painted to fade in with the leaves and branches. The same mud coats his otherwise rust-covered scales, and leaves long furrows down his arms.

"Why are you so interested in starting a war between these bandits?" Kore asks of the old woman as she is coming close. The diminutive Monk is wearing a black robe over her usual simple clothing. It largely shrouds the diminutive half-Mul'niessa's form.

There's a book at the hunter-caste's belt. He shifts to his other leg, though the book is visible enough. It shows someone who looks very much like the woman, her smile the smile of a Grinch, and her eyes glittering like diamonds as she eyes brave Mereth, the doomed warrior. In her hand, a DAGGER! The caption says: Mereth's Love Lost! Betrayal! The Tell-all Tale! Chay shifts his position again, his tail trying hard not to lash side to side.

Deak just looks appalled and suspicious. "That's terrible," is all he says, and more to himself that to anyone else.

The old lady giggles, a completely unnatural sounding thing, and then smiles as she puts the plushie down to the side. "First, I am Lady Mandial, Chaos Lich, etc etc etc oh and paternal great ancestor to Lady Sandial." standing up she moves over to Chay with unnatural speed, 'Oh your a fan? I only just recently discovered those, and I love them! I can't wait for the next book." Then giggles again and glances around, "Oh the bandits yes yes. You have two groups. A goblin group called the Hemogoblins, and then a group that are all scarred and missing various limbs called the cripples. THey have an uneasy truce between each other." Turning to stare at Kore, "Leaders? Don't know don't care. two things for me!"

She pauses and motions to the cabin, "Tea and crumpets if you want to sit down and talk? Or would you rather get to business? As for what is in it for you, they are talking about merging so they can do raids on the trade routs to Alexandria, would cause some problems."

Ilmig eyes the giggling old lady suspiciously. "I ain't 'ere to start no wars. Keepin the roads bandit-less be plenty good enough."

The sith-makar STARES at her. When did? What? How--? He jerks backwards, causing the book to fall to the earth. It lands with a loud THUP onto the earth. Bounces once. "Did you really kill him, ser?" he asks, uneasy. Oh, and there's suddenly DISTANCE. Two can teleport! It involves the movement of feet.

Just very quickly.

Deak's amazement only increases, and he says, "Crips and Bloods. Huh."

Duncan jerks back as well, reaching for what appears to be a miniature trident tucked through his belt. But the once his mind catches up to what's happening, he puts a hand over his eyes. "You brought that thing...no it's not a true...she isn't..." he sighs. "Look, these groups...do you know where they are?" Something tells him they should have brought a tracker.

Kore lets out a soft sigh and then takes a deep breath. Slowly. She seems to be expecting the old lady's antics. She surveys their surroundings briefly and then tucks her hands into her pockets before turning toward the nearby road. "If we at least have a starting point I might be able to make sense of things well enough to be started, she muses quietly. "Hopefully finding them is the easiest part."

Mandy holds up a finger and waggles it playfully at Chay, "no telling! No spoilers, read the next book. I know I am looking forward to, cause I really curious if I did or did not as well." giggling unnaturally again. and then moves back to hear seat, "Bloods and Crips, so drab, but that is what I call them. No idea what they really call themselves."

Mandy then points east, "that way, one north, the other south. you can start the fightning between them however you want. Though their numbers are near a hundred each, so probably outside of your ability to take out. SO make them fight, it will be so fun to watch!" giggling as she picks up the plushie she was working on, "Oh any feel free to take a plushie with you."

Deak looks at his partners questioningly, "Are we really doing this?"

"They do need to be taken care of. Maybe we'll learn more while we do it..." Kore mutters, half to herself. Then she pauses. "But yes. A plushie might be nice."

"...given the great interesst it hass sseen," the sith-makar says to Duncan. STILL watching the--how did--?? "One wanted to find if there wass possible truth to it. Thiss one can report, you sseem very capable, sser," Chay says to the lich, uneasily. What was that? Space? He adds some. "I am afraid a great number are upsset at you. We were called in to ssettle a 'disspute' at a reading ssalon. Perhapss sser, you might try to calm them down."

Mandy hops up and moves with unnatural speed over towards Kore and pushes into her hands a plushie of... Kore! Then moments later she is back in her seet and sewing again. Deak rushes over to Kore to check, "Are you alright?"

Mandy holds up and waggles a finger to Chay, "Now now, two things there. I am not the one writing it! So I have no idea what I really did or did not do! Ask the one writing it. second, I am under oath not to enter Alexandria. Now if you could convince Sandy to let me back in...." giggling and the motioning east, "Shoul dget going dearies. I look forward to entertainment!"

Kore accepts the plushie from Mandy, her azure eyes widening slightly. When Deak rushes over to her she nods slowlyy. The half-Mul blinks a few times. "...It's just a bit of fabric," she murmurs before looking to the road again. "We should be on our way. As the Lich says."

Duncan backs a few steps away before turning and whistling. There's a rumbling and then his Digger emerges from the ground. Duncan climbs into the small metal seat that can barely be dignified as a 'saddle' and then the pair begin moving. "See if you can pick up the scent of Gobber, lad," Duncan urges.

The sith-makar wisely perhaps, takes another step back. Then two more. Then five. "Peasse to you," he says. And then he's gone, away from that cursed place.

If Mandy was a decent person, she'd write an apology! Breaking up the merchant's daughter Tlagira and the young noblewoman Saih was anything but fun!

And the CLAWS! Sharp enough to pierce scale, and that was before the brothers got into it. Apparently one of them had had a... he will never understand. Never. It's bad enough the series' illegality in Charn made it that much more popular. Sandy must never know.

Mandy is now working on a new plushie, which is already starting to look very much like Duncan ridding his Digger.

Deak swings his head back and forth muttering, "Absolutely, totally, and in all other ways INCONCEIVABLE!"

The path east quickly turns into rocky, and then eventually sandy terrain. Trails of constant passage are easy to find. There are clearly a large group, or groups of humanoids around.

The goblin camp isn't hard to find, a large wooden fortress is spotted among the sands, with cleared out dunes from all sides. Making sneaking in very difficult with their sentries, but possible! They are mostly goblins with a few gnomes mixed in. A large flag is flying with a single blood drop on it against a white background.

The goblins quickly levy bows and crossbows at the group, including Kore whome they appear to have spotted sneaking her way in. "Takes a bold group to attack us! Drop all your belongings and gold, and we might let you walk away alive!" A larger goblin, a hobgoblin, speaks up. Clearly he is the leader of this group.

Deak strides in with confidence and says, "Peace friends. I am Deak, a Hearthguard of the Compassionate One. My companions and I are here to parley with your leaders." He bows.

"We're not here to attack you," Duncan adds. He waves his makeshift flag for emphasis. "Although there are some who would have liked us to." He runs his gaze over the goblins present before returning his gaze to their leader.

"Peasse to you," Chay adds. The hunter-caste keeps his arms out, and his hands visible, and in the open. "Thiss one doessn't think you wissh to do that, ssers. We are the guardss of the Compassionate one, and will defend him. Ssomeone attempted to sset uss on you, and forgot one of the tenents of Althea," he says. Then adds, "And Her sstrength."

The hobgoblin pauses a moment, "Oye, what you be saying about somebody wanting us dead? Welcoem to the desolation whelplings." though he seems willing to listen as he motions to his guards, "Now now boys, the compasionate one." Pointing over to Kore, "I will take compasion from her anydays." Turning back to Deak and the others, 'Say your peace, and I will decide your fate from there."

Deak responds, "Well, to be more precise, it's not exactly that she wants you dead. What she really wants is for you and your crippled rivals to open hostilities with each other. This tenuous peace between you bores her. because she is a CHAOS lich."

The hobgoblin just stares at Deak, confused beyond words.

"There iss a bored lich, sser. You have caught her eye," Chay says. The tail twitches, goes slowly side to side. "A creature of power, and undeath. Sshe iss bored, and wisshes to usse you and yourss as a toy."

"If you don't do something different now you will all die and become the thralls of an evil necromantic lich named Mandy and be forced to shovel shit for her for eternity," Kore supplies boredly.

Deak glances at Kore and smirks.

The hobgoblin turns to Chay, and starts to ask, "What is a li... oh." he pauses and slames the hilt of his sword into a post, "Like hell she will toy with us! Tell us where this... lich is, and we will go destroy her! I have over a hundred men strong!" The men behind him cheer, "Oh and the women to!" some women cheer, but a much smaller number. "Humpf, you talk like she is powerful and mighty. Ha, prepare my loyal followers, we will set out henceforth!"

Duncan frowns mightily. "Hold on there - I admire your bravery, but this lich...she's more than just powerful. Some of the greatest heroes of Alexandria have come up against her, and she's still free and pursuing her villany."

That gets the hobgoblin to pause for a moment, "Greatest heros... and they could not stop her?" The men are not looking so sure, "THey did say Mandy.. as in teh one that killed..." pulling up a book, very similar to the one Chay has and struggling to read a moment nods, "Yea that is the name. Uhh... we should probably rethink this." The hobgolin looks even less sure, "Hmmm..."

"Sser, with resspect, my companion iss right. The lich sser, iss as sstrong as Barnatoss of Charn--sser, you have heard of him?" Chay says, through a dry throat as he names one of the leaders of the known world. "We came to you from Althea'ss Compassion and sser, becausse we ssuspect you are a man who doess not wissh to be a toy. ...or a ssacrifice."

"But there are wordss, sser. Wordss that a demon army will move through here, sser. Thiss one ssuspects you would rather...sser, if one may be sso bold, again, leave cluess for the demonss to find thiss lich, /insstead/ of you."

"Perhapss you give her ssomething elsse to do, ssers, insstead of her hunting you." The tail flickers. "And in thankss, ssers, if thiss advisse is good to you, you may leave honor in Althea'ss name." He looks to Deak.

Deak smiles at Chay, then looks back at the leader. "The light of holy Telmentar shine upon you if you should choose this path. There is wisdom in my companion's counsel." The goblins and hobgoblin talk among themselves for several minutes, some of it heated, some of it quiet. Finally the hobgoblin speaks up again, "Ok so... no demon trails. Not touching that shite. Though leaving the area sounds in our best interest and all. Thinking we might strike out north, find greener pastures and all. Heard the gnomes of Happy Valley are looking for some miners and all. Honost work may be in order and all."

Duncan raises his eyebrows but doesn't say anything. Instead he looks at Chay and Deak, and gives them the tiniest of nods...that is completely not obvious to anyone looking on.

The sith-makar ducks his muzzle, as though their response has done him a favor. He's used to that, that sort of gesture. "Of coursse, sser," he says, and steps behind Deak, as though he were serving him. He makes the Sign of Althea in the air, in front.

Deak grins, and says, "Your choice is honorable. When you shall arrive in Happy Valley, I would be honored to speak for you to the gnomish leaders, and to bless the homes you there shall establish. Let us pray." He raises his arms and begins to incant.

The path towards the other camp is pretty easy to follow, outside a couple of your party nearly walking into quicksand or sinkholes. This camp is also made of wood, but clearly less maintained. There are some guards, but most of them look like starving beggers or petty thieves. All of them are deformed in some way, and observation quickly shows this is a leper colony!

Seeing the desperate condition of this community, Deak mobilizes. He grabs out several loaves of bread from his pack and calls, "In the name of Althea, we come offering relief and words of warning to your leaders. The power of the Compassionate One offers healing to your fatigued, ill, and wounded."

The lepers peer up and offer hopeful expressions on their faces, "food, such kindness! Please come in and break bread with us." Offers a robbed woman stepping forward. she pulls back her hood and smiles, "I help these people, but there is little I can do." Motioning for the group to join them in the camp as the gates start to open.

"Peasse to you," the sith-makar offers. He stays just a step away from the priest, and repeats the man's words. His voice isn't loud--shouting, yelling, were not a thing he'd gotten to do. Were not a thing one did, if one survived. But: "Peasse. The Compassionate One bringss clear water, and healing," he says. He thumps his tail in greetings to the woman, and follows through the gate, alongside Deak.

Deak says, "The holy Mother bless you, mother. Let us gather your afflicted into my presence and the light of Telmentar shall come through me to their relief, then if you have rotten and inedible food and drink, I shall purify it."

Duncan leads his Digger through the gates with the others. "This isn't a camp of bandits at all," he complains. He casts a scowl back in the direction Mandy was. "More tricks." From afar, Kore drops a smoke bomb to keep the bandits distracted and bolt.

Suddenly within the camp, is a lot of smoke and some confusion.

A moment later Kore appears as if from nowhere and she's scalling out, "Ambush! It's an ambush." She looks a bit breathless and smells slightly of smoky. Wonder why. The woman suddenly snears as she pulls out a dagger, "looks like the gig is up!" The smoke bomb has caused some confusion, but they party was alerted before they walked right into the middle of the ambush. Instead they are now facing several dozen bandits with weapons ready, but their back and flanks are clear!

"You would harm a priesst of Althea?" Chay says. He takes a step back of course, and keeps his hands where they may be seen. "We are ready to defend him, ssers, but assk you put down your weaponss, insstead. You may wissh to hear what he hass to say."

The woman sneers again, "you got coin, that is all that matters. You all bleed the same red blood, and your about to if you don't hand over all your goods."

Certainly disappointed by the ambush, Deak is nonetheless still focused on the plight if the diseased, malnourished, and wounded ariund them. He says, "Ere you do folly upon us, behold the power of Althea. It is ready both to aid your community and to bless my companions if you should force them to take up arms in defiance of your violent efforts against us. The choice is yours.

The woman spits, "Like hell your going to help these people..." pausing as she see's the angelic visage and glares, "oh some holy church goer are you, please." weaving a light spell into her dagger, "I know a few tricks myself. Now drop your coin, don't want to be hurting you, but we need to eat and survive. Ain't nobody out here going to help us."

"Sser..." Chay says. The sith-makar invokes a prayer, and holds out his hand. Water falls, pouring into one of the rain barrels. It splashes, hitting the sides as it drops. "One would rather not, ssers."

"Has anyone mentioned to them that a Lich is trying to get them all illed so they can become her undead servants and we'd rather not, so arranging some degree of help to avoid having a brand new undead army around is in our best interest?" That's Kore, who is still breathing heaivly after her mad sprint away from the enemy camp.

The woman sneers a bit less seeing the water, "Actions... speak louder then words." Relaxing the grip on her dagger a bit, "Not often we see anybody actually willing to help, and doing so. Wait... a lich?" her face going pale a bit, "Go... on..."

"With your leave, sser," Chay says. He bows softskin-style to the woman, and then turns to look directly towards his companions. He looks to Kore, to Deak, to Duncan. ...then, the hunter takes a steadying breath and turns back towards the barrels. He prays, and begins to fill the barrels, one by one.

One by one, adding to the colony's water supplies as his companions share words.

Deak responds to Kore. "We've not had the chance to get that far yet, Kore. We barely came, and saw their sorry state. Before we tell of the Lich's design on these poor folk, we wanted to relieve their suffering." Then looking toward the woman, adds, "Perhaps it would be better to share words first in this case, though." Then addressing her he says, "The power the goddess wields through me is here to grant healing and comfort."

Duncan's eyes roll back and he murmurs something under his breath. A moment later he's back to normal, edging his Digger towards the front of the party, all the better to intercept any cripples that come there way. "We've already spoken with the Gobbers," he explains. "They were able to see reason, and no blood was spilled."

The woman sighs for a long moment, "These people have nowhere to go. society has cast them out, and the temples turned them away because each has gone to crime to survive. Alexandria is to far for a trip to be made, and even then they have no means to make a living. Now a lich..." bitting on her hair in a nervous fashion, "Fuck..."

Chay looks to the priest, and then to the woman. "Ssser, we may provide water, and a meanss to cleansse what food there iss. Perhapss you may travel with uss to Alessandria, as pilgrimss of the priesst?" The hunter's tail doesn't know where to go, or to rest. But, being a slave...he hates to see others suffer. Would hate to be there again, himself.

Deak hands over the bread he has, and says, "Please, let us gather your afflicted together that I may heal them. I would be only too glad to take your camp into the protection of the goddess while we seek to establish a new and prosperous home for you, but as they are now, I doubt your people would survive the journey, and quite apart from the lich, the demon binder Asumit is rumored to be moving his demons through this land."

"They cannot sstay here, sser," Chay says to the priest. "...but we could help you travel. Or thiss one could, to a plasse outsside of here. Thiss dessert will become more dangerouss, ssoon enough."

the woman nods, "Very well. My name is Kayle, and we will prepare to march towards Alexandria. We thank you for your humble offer to guard us and ensure our safe passage on this trip." Then starts to shout orders.